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Pubertal Development and Menarche
Published in Jane M. Ussher, Joan C. Chrisler, Janette Perz, Routledge International Handbook of Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2019
These sources further emphasize that (especially younger) girls who are out-of-school or have disabilities are not receiving the menstrual education or menstrual hygiene management efforts that do exist. Because talking about pubertal issues is considered private and hard to do in public, in-school programs are often compromised. Both sources note the lack of pubertal education to address girls’ sexual desires as they develop during this time. Even talking with parents can be difficult because of social norms that discourage discussions of sexuality.
Wash and Gender
Published in Oliver Cumming, Tom Slaymaker, Equality in Water and Sanitation Services, 2018
Kathleen O’Reilly, Robert Dreibelbis
Urogential infections—including bacterial vaginosis, urinary tract infections, and reproductive tract infections—are increasingly identified as a public health priority worldwide, particularly in low-income countries.37,38 Infections have been associated with an increased risk of sexually transmitted infections (such as HIV), pain and incontinence, and adverse pregnancy outcomes.39 Menstrual hygiene management practices have been linked to urogenital infections in a number of studies39—specifically, the reuse of absorbent material for menstruation (cotton cloths, rags, etc.). While the links are plausible, there is limited data available on the links between water and other hygiene practices during menstruation and urogenital infections. WASH insecurity is an important determinant of a woman’s menstrual hygiene practices. In India, women without access to a sanitation facility reported not washing and cleaning during menstruation to their own satisfaction.2 In a case-control study of laboratory-confirmed bacterial vaginosis, access to a private, personal space for menstrual hygiene management was associated with lower rates of bacterial vaginosis.
Menstrual hygiene management and WASH *
Published in Jamie Bartram, Rachel Baum, Peter A. Coclanis, David M. Gute, David Kay, Stéphanie McFadyen, Katherine Pond, William Robertson, Michael J. Rouse, Routledge Handbook of Water and Health, 2015
Marni Sommer, Bethany A. Caruso
Sommer, M. 2010. Putting menstrual hygiene management on to the school water and sanitation agenda. Waterlines. 29(4), 268–277. Sommer highlighted the long overlooked nature of MHM into WASH interventions in schools. The article additionally emphasized the various research methodologies to be utilized in studying MHM, including participatory and quantitative approaches.
Exploring young women’s menstruation-related challenges in Uttar Pradesh, India, using the socio-ecological framework
Published in Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, 2020
Ellen McCammon, Suchi Bansal, Luciana E. Hebert, Shirley Yan, Alicia Menendez, Melissa Gilliam
The onset of menstruation can be challenging for young women living in low- and middle-income countries.1 Many young women lack resources for safely managing menstruation at home and in school, such as private bathrooms with clean water.2,3 In some countries, menarche is associated with higher rates of school dropout among young women.1,4 School dropout can be due to multiple factors, including social pressure to marry and bear children with the onset of menses3,4 and the difficulties of managing menstruation at school.5–8 Specific menstrual hygiene management (MHM) challenges faced by young women in schools include: inadequately clean and safe bathrooms, lack of running water and menstrual supplies, and teasing from male peers and teachers about menstruation.1,6,9
Neglect of Menstrual Disorders in Reproductive Health Care in India: A Population-Based Survey
Published in Women's Reproductive Health, 2018
Enu Anand, Prakash Kumar, Sayeed Unisa, Jayakant Singh
Recent literature on menstrual health has focused more on menstruation as something to be managed (Sommer, 2012; Sommer et al., 2016; Sommer, Hirsch, Nathanson, & Parker, 2015) rather than as a sexual and reproductive health concern. In particular, menstrual management issues of adolescents or school-going girls have recently been the subject of investigation. Water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programs, conducted mostly in low- and middle-income countries, tend to highlight adolescent girls who drop out of school because of inadequate WASH facilities in schools (Das et al., 2015; Mahon & Fernandes, 2010; Muralidharan, Patil, & Patnaik, 2015; Sommer, Vasquez, Worthington, & Sahin, 2012). Although menstrual hygiene management is important, diagnosis and treatment of menstrual complaints also require adequate attention. One of the main reasons is that adult married women currently experience more episodes of menstruation than did women of previous generations because, earlier, the majority of married women spent most of their reproductive life span in pregnancy or lactational amenorrhea (Harlow & Campbell, 2000). Despite the availability of relatively simple and inexpensive therapies to address most menstrual complaints, the majority of women do not seek these services (Barua & Kurz, 2001). In order to reduce pelvic infections and anemia, menstrual symptoms need adequate monitoring in primary-level health care (Harlow & Campbell, 2004).
WASH and gender in health care facilities: The uncharted territory
Published in Health Care for Women International, 2019
Petra Kohler, Samuel Renggli, Christoph Lüthi
The results from Uganda showed that inpatients and attendants suffered from the dirtiness of the sanitary facilities and the lack of water, and from the missing hand washing facilities and nonexisting lights. Menstrual hygiene management matters were also found to be challenging, as in India. The male participants proposed demanding self-involvement in cleaning, fundraising from patients and other stakeholders, a suggestion box for complaints and for sensitization on menstrual hygiene management. The female participants suggested having the toilets emptied, integrating ventilation, providing more public toilets to evade the bottlenecks in toilet usage in the hospitals, and providing containers for menstrual hygiene management material disposal.